Chapter 1

Sookie Stackhouse fought with all of her might, fighting the hands that held her. “Eric!” She screamed, tears running down her face. “ERIC! Please! PLEASE! Wake up!”

A laugh rang in her ear, heartless and amused. “Scream all you want, fangbanger. He won’t hear you.”

She was pinned on the bed in her room, unable to see who held her. She struggled in the iron grip, twisting her head back and forth trying to shake the blindfold from her eyes. Despite the amount of blood she had received from Eric, she could not heave this being off her. She chose the word being, as she believed it was not a human. She also did not detect it to be a Were or Shifter, unable to hear even the slightest hum from the mind. She would have felt certain it was a vampire if the sunlight wasn’t streaming through her windows.

A knee dug into her clenched legs, trying to force them apart. She sobbed for Eric again as tears streamed down her face. He had woken once before, in Rhoades, so she knew he was able. That time his life had been in danger and she had touched him to wake him. This time it was her life, possibly his own, and he was in the other room, safe in her closet.

Another voice accompanied by a set of heavy footsteps entered her room. “Looks like he’s here.”

Her captor shook the bed as he began to laugh, a guffaw so evil that it exploded from deep in his belly and horrified her to her very core. His knee shoved harder between her legs, wrenching them apart.

“Well,” he said, “before we have our fun with him, how about if we start with you?” Something wet touched her neck, she could only assume it was his tongue and he relocated her hands into one of his, using the other to pinch and roughly grab her breast.

“No!” She shrieked. “Please! Get off me! Leave us alone! Leave him alone!”

“Oh, don’t worry, vampire slut, I have every intention of getting off,” his laughter was echoed by his companion. She struggled desperately to read their minds, to figure out who or what they were.

“Eric will be up soon! He will fucking kill you when he wakes! He will rip you from limb to limb!” She threatened, wriggling and shivering under the heavy weight of the being that was trying to lie familiarly between her legs.

“Well,” the other male voice said,” in that case, maybe I should just end him now?”

Her terror soared to a height she had never known achievable, Eric asleep- dead – and defenseless, being brought to his final death in her home. “ERIC!” Her throat was raw with screams, sobs wracking her small frame as she fought with her legs to keep the body on top of her from harming her. She reached through the bond, listening, hoping, praying- but there was nothing. Eric was not responding her.

“Oh God,” she whimpered. “Oh God, please…” She felt a hand begin to fumble with the button on her shorts and her nearly became lifeless. This was actually going to happen. There was nothing she could do. This thing was going to rape her, his friend probably would as well, and then they would kill Eric.

“Don’t worry,” he growled at her and yanked down her shorts. “We will make sure you see your vampire one last time, as he dies!”

She wilted into her bed in absolute hopelessness. She couldn’t fight them off. But maybe…just maybe, they would take too long and Eric would wake up and be able to save himself. She sucked in all the resolve she had left and nodded to herself. Yes. That is what she would do. She would let them do what they wanted to her and maybe it would save Eric.

Her panties followed her shorts. Her tank top was torn off her torso. Her bra wrenched away so that her breasts fell out of her cups.

A whine came out of the lips of her attacker. “Nice tits…firm ass, I can see what these vamps like about you.” He laughed a little. “Now you can feel what it is like to be fucked by someone with a pulse, you dirty whore.”

Her fight reflex struck once more, she couldn’t help it, and she fought for all she was worth. She kicked, tried to bite and wrestled and moved her way around. Her efforts were rewarded with a sound punch to the face. She cried out as the fist cracked into her jaw, blood spilling out of her mouth. One after another the blows continued. “Eric,” she croaked, unable to speak louder. “Oh god, Eric…”

Her abuser began to touch his mouth to her body and she fought back the urge to be sick. Her skin crawled with his every touch and she heard the zipper on his jeans.

“You had better hurry, the sun is setting, and that fucker is going to be awake soon.” The voice came from the corner of the room.

A small ray of hope lit up inside her. She knew the closer to sunset, the more coherent Eric became. She gathered up her strength and began to fight for all she was worth. She kicked her legs as if her life and Eric’s depended on it, because they did. “Eric! Eric! ERIC!” She screamed over and over, louder which each cry. Her captor tried to penetrate her, while his friend helped hold her down, slapping or punching her each time she cried out. She sucked her breath in after the last punch and screamed louder than she had before,” ERIC! HELP ME!”

She felt a response in their connection, a flicker. It was muffled, but it grew stronger. She continued to push her fear to him; her need for him and the heat in the bond grew stronger. He was waking up.

“The sun is almost down,” a worried voice came from the head of her bed.

“You watch for him. I am going to fuck this bitch if it is the last thing I do,” his voice was irate, his body unrelenting as he rammed himself against her, trying to find his entrance. She moved and twisted as much as possible, resolved to go down fighting since she could feel Eric.

A snarl roared through the room, like something she had never heard. She was caught off guard, which allowed her captor to find the chip in her defenses he had been looking for. He shoved himself into her and her hands were let go by her other captor, presumably to fight Eric. She screamed in pain.

“Get off of me! Please get off of me! Eric! Please! Oh God Eric!” She wept, squirming and fighting as her captor smashed into her body. She could hear a struggle between Eric and the other person.

“You dare hurt what is Mine,” he growled ferociously and then sound of splitting flesh permeated her ears. Wetness sprayed her face and she could only assume it was blood. The person on top of her was suddenly gone from her body and she gasped and sat up, crawling away from him. She struggled with her blindfold and pulled it off her face.

“You dare to think you can take a human who belongs to me?” Eric’s face was distorted with a rage that she had never even imagined possible. His face and chest was covered in blood, his fangs bared and his eyes were no longer the ones she knew. “You have caused a blood offense to someone who is mine! You have touched the flesh of someone who is mine! Who the fuck do you think you are?”

The male in Eric’s grip struggled, kicking his feet wordlessly as Eric lifted him in the air by his neck. Sookie grabbed her blanket and tried to cover herself, cowering back into the bed.

She saw Eric’s hand reach down to the man’s open pants and heard a scream as she turned her head away. The sound of tearing flesh told her what had happened. A horrible growling followed and she peaked through her arms to see Eric rip into his throat and tear it out. Blood sprayed across the room as he spit the offending flesh from his mouth and he let the body drop in a heap to the floor.

His chest was heaving, as if he was breathing and his eyes darted around the room, looking for more danger. They stopped when the landed on her. Her body was quivering with sobs and aching from the cruelty she had endured. She felt only his anger through the bond and a wild and animalistic craving to annihilate. He stepped towards her and reached out his hand. She eyed him crazily over the tops of her arms, her cries escaping from her mouth with each breath.

“My lover,” he said soberly, his eyes gradually regaining focus. A huge wave of mourning washed through her and she knew her Eric had returned.

“Eric,” she rasped out as he reached across the bed, gathering her into his arms and pulling her to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let herself go, complete and utter hysteria taking over her body. She inhaled his scent as he held her so tight it almost hurt, but she couldn’t bear for him to loosen his grip. She was safe in his arms. Always safe in his arms.

“My Sookie,” he whispered, smoothing her bloodied hair from her face. “What has happened to you?”

“Oh Eric,” she sobbed, shaking her head. “Oh God, Eric.” She shook violently in his arms and he lowered himself to a seated position on her bed, rocking her and caressing her back.

“Shhh, shhh, my lover,” he crooned, pulling back the blanket to look at her naked, angry flesh, covered in scratches, bites and bruises. He tenderly rubbed her face, her shoulders, her arms; his lips brushing against her injuries. He stopped abruptly and she looked into his face. His eyes were focused on the marks between her legs. “He was able to violate you,” he whispered softly, closing his eyes.

She agreed, crying with more intensity.” I am sorry, Eric, I tried so hard to fight him off! I struggled for as long as I could. Then they told me they were going to end you while you slept and I stopped fighting…” her voice trailed off and she gasped for air against a sob. “I thought if they took long enough with me, it might give you a chance.”

“Oh my lover,” he breathed out, his hand gripping her hip. “Oh my strong, brave, lover.” He again brushed her hair back from her face, kissing her forehead. “I have to fix this, ” he rumbled, ” I have to fix you.”

“How?” She whimpered. “How are you to fix me?”

“I will give you more blood,” he inclined his head decisively. “That will ease your pain and allow you to heal with haste. It will not, however, take away his scent.”

“What?” She gasped pulling back and looking into his face. His eyes were dark, his brow furrowed. “You can smell him?”

He nodded again. “Yes, I can. He has marked you and we must undo this.”

“How could he have marked me? What was he, Eric? I couldn’t hear him.” She couldn’t bare Eric being able to smell her rapist on her flesh. It would be a permanent reminder of what had happened to her and what had almost happened to him.

“He was human, but he was sheathed in powerful magic. He had been protected by a witch.” He thought about his next words before he spoke. “The magic is what has infused his scent into you.”

“How will you erase it, Eric?” She whispered, fear filling her again. His arms tightened around her.

He raised his wrist to his mouth and bit, and then brought it to her lips. “Here, my lover. Drink this while I think.”

Her lips latched onto his skin, sucking the sugary tasting blood into her mouth. In the recent past when they had shared blood, it had been of a sexual nature. There was nothing sexual about what was happening between them now. She swallowed mouthful after mouthful and she watched his face as he seemed to war within himself. She noticed through her tear filled eyes that his fangs were no longer down. Even Eric could find no pleasure in sharing his blood under such trying circumstances.

He snapped open his phone and punched a number. “Pam,” he barked into the phone, raising it to his ear. “There has been a breach at Sookie’s home. A blood offense,” he hesitated. “And a flesh offense.”

She watched him close his eyes as he listened to Pam. His wrist began to mend and once it had finished he pulled his arm snugly around her again.

“Yes, a flesh offense…I know…I know…A mark has been left…I am aware of this…Which is what I expected…” she wished she could hear what Pam was saying and Eric’s side was not sounding very comforting. “Yes, I want the house guarded at once. Call the Were. No one is to approach the door or come past the porch, but this house must be surrounded completely within the hour.” He paused. “Yes, it is the only choice I have. I will explain it to her…Yes…I will see you momentarily. Goodbye.”

He hung his head briefly as he closed his phone and then looked at her. “I am going to check the house, my lover. I want to make sure we are safe until our guards arrive. Will you be all right alone for a moment?”

She nodded and he bundled her up tightly in her blanket and nestled her against the pillows. He kissed her softly on her head and moved silently out the door. She felt so deadened, so empty…she could barely form a coherent thought. She was thankful to be alive and that Eric has survived as well. Her mind couldn’t bear to contemplate what had been done to her. This mark, she cringed to herself, this mark he has left, how can it be removed? She could not spend her life with this mark. She would rather die.

Eric returned swiftly and inclined his head, letting her know the house was safe. “How did they get in, my lover?”

She shuddered and closed her eyes. “I was in the kitchen, preparing dinner. I knew you would be up soon so I thought we could eat together.” Her voice trailed off and she felt herself grow distant. “I must have left the back door unlocked because before I knew it I was blindfolded and brought into my room…”

He sat down next to her, touching her hand. Letting her know she did not need to continue.

“Eric, I need to shower. Please, take me to the bathroom. I have to wash their hands off of me.” Her lips trembled and she could feel their hands all over her, squeezing and pinching and touching her most intimate parts.

“I know, my lover. I know.” He drew in a deep breath, as if he was gathering his words. She knew he didn’t need to breathe. “There is something I need to do first.”

“What?” She whimpered, afraid of what he was going to say. She just wanted to be clean.

“I need to…erase him from your flesh,” he said softly, raising his eyes to meet hers. She could feel regret washing through her, coming from him.

She swallowed. “How will you do that?”

“I will need to clean you of his fluids,” he responded, holding her hand. “And replace his smell with my own.”

A wave of nausea rolled over her. “You will need to have sex with me?” She whispered, sickened. It was the worst thing she could imagine, after what had just happened. She didn’t want making love with Eric to be associated with her rape.

“I am afraid so,” he said in an even voice as they heard a knock at the door. “That will be Pam.”

“Eric, this is preposterous! How can you even suggest something like this? This is low even for you!” She said angrily, yanking herself away from him.

She could hear the click of heels on the hardwood floors and she knew Pam had let herself in, and was announcing her presence.

“Sookie, I give you my word that I am not making this up,” he reached for her hand frantically, trying to wrap her in reassurance.

“Hello, my little telepathic friend,” Pam said quietly, stepping into the room. She surveyed the situation before her and sighed. No biting remarks from her this evening, as she knew this was a grave event. She carefully sat down next to Sookie on the bed.

“Pam?” She asked, turning her tear stained face to her lover’s child. “Is it true?”

“I am sorry to say, Sookie, that it is.” A strange look of compassion crossed Pam’s face and Sookie could tell she was being honest. “I am very sorry.”

“How do we know it will work?” She looked between Eric and Pam desperately, watching as silent words passed between them.

“Eric? What is going to happen?” She could barely handle getting through an intimate act with Eric alone, but she couldn’t stomach the humiliation of having Pam involved as well.

“Pam is going to give you some of her blood. We hope that the power between our combined bloods will allow this to work.” He began to undo his pants.

Horrified, she stared at them both. “Are you going to watch, Pam?”

A hint of a smile crossed Pam’s lips. “No, my little friend. You will drink and then I will leave.”

She shuddered and leaned forward, taking Pam’s wrist into her mouth. She drank until Eric nodded at her to stop. She felt heady and warm. Almost, drunk?

Pam pulled her wrist away and watched as it closed. “Feeling better, Sookie?”

She nodded in response. “Yes, almost strangely better. What happened?”

Eric spoke up as he laid her out on the bed, carefully keeping her covered with the blanket. He was in his boxers. “Pam’s blood has a healing quality to it, more so than most vampire blood. Her blood has the ability to know her intentions while giving it freely to someone she cares for.”

Sookie looked to Pam, surprised. “You care for me?”

Pam smiled then, her fangs peeking out. “Of course I do. You make my master happy and you have been a friend to us.”

Eric smiled softly as well. “Pam intended to numb you a bit, while giving you her blood. A bit of an anesthetic if you will. To make this easier for you.”

Sookie’s tears started to flow again. “Thank you so much, Pam,” she whispered as Pam clicked her way to the bedroom door.

She turned her gaze to Eric, who had stripped off his remaining article of clothing. He slowly pulled back the blanket, awaiting her reaction.

“I don’t know how I am going to be able to do this, Eric,” she whispered. “I care for you, you know that. And I love being with you. I just don’t know how I am going to be able to do this so soon after-”

He stretched himself out over her side, his leg weighing heavily against hers, his hand gently caressing her cheek. “Shhhh, lover,” he murmured. “Just relax and let Pam’s blood do its work. I will not enter you until you are ready.”

She nodded and let herself slip deeper inside of the bond, feeling all of Eric’s concern and care wash over her. She noticed he was not yet hard. She took some solace in knowing that he understood the detriment of the situation. His hand slowly brushed over her body and light as a butterfly his lips followed. He touched her wounds with his lips, biting his tongue and lathing her injuries with his blood, respectfully staying above her waist.

She sighed as the warmth encompassed her, warmth from Pam and her blood, warmth from Eric and his attachment to her. His mouth softly touched hers, light as a feather, careful of her cut lips and tongue. He bit his own again and she quietly sucked on it, slowly feeling the pain leaving her mouth and jaw. He continued his mission; touching and bleeding over every inch of her injured body, save for her most fragile part. His hand ran down the side of her body as he lifted himself up and onto her, tenderly lowering himself between her legs.

She stiffened visibly, her eyes opening to catch his. “Eric?” She whispered. “All ready?” Her voice caught and the tears began again.

He shook his head. “Not yet, my lover. I am going to kiss you and clean you first. You will let me know when you are ready.” He laid a kiss onto her stomach before sliding his body down further on the bed, wrapping her legs around his shoulders. She trembled and he stilled, waiting for her to nod. She did so slightly and bit down onto her lip as she felt his tongue and lips begin to move over her center.

Normally she would be captivated with want, but this was such a different sensation. It was sympathetic and protective and he pushed his desire to heal her through the bond. He licked her methodically, each lick followed by another, wetter touch and she knew it was his blood he was giving to her. She relaxed under his contact as his hands reached up to hers, holding them firmly.

At first, there was nothing sexual about what he was doing. She was shattered and he was trying to fix her. But as he continued with his mission, so carefully and lovingly she began to feel a warmth stir inside her. She didn’t know if it was Pam’s blood or Eric’s ministrations but her body began to relax into his mouth.

When he finished he raised himself up on his knees, resting his hands on hers. His mouth was smeared with blood and his tongue darted around to lick it off. She noticed he was still not hard.

“Are you ready?” He asked softly, his blue eyes looking into hers.

She nodded slowly. “What about you?”

A sad smile pulled at his lips as he looked down at his less than proud member. “Ahh, yes, he isn’t quite as eager as he usually is. Under the circumstances, how could he be?” Eric murmured, giving himself a slow, purposeful stroke. He continued for a few moments and he began to harden.

She reached down to take him in her small hand, feeling the flesh warm from her touch. Eric settled against her as she stroked him slowly and his lips gently pressed to hers. She slid his foreskin back revealing his sensitive tip and he shuddered, growing immediately harder.

“Drink me,” she whispered softly into his ear, his face nestled into her neck.

“Are you sure?” He responded by tracing small kisses along her flesh.

“Yes.” She knew it would push him into full arousal and make the process easier for both of them.

His teeth scraped at her flesh and she shivered, bracing herself for the bite that followed. He groaned as he drank her in and she felt him harden fully in her hand. She helped guide him to her as he greedily sucked her blood.

She let him continue; knowing the fairy in her blood would bring him into ecstasy and make this easier on him. She knew he grieved her injuries and that he did not want to inflict more pain upon her. He must have felt himself at her entrance because he pulled his mouth back from her neck, planting it softly onto hers.

“I am sorry, Sookie,” he whispered brokenly,” for what I am about to do.”

She kissed him back. “It’s okay, Eric.”

He pushed forward and she cried out, pain from his size and from her earlier abuse. His hips stilled, waiting for a sign from her. He bit into his finger and reached between them, smearing the blood over his hardness. She swallowed back her tears and kissed him again, then guided his mouth back to her neck.

“Are you sure, my love?” He searched through the bond, trying to find hesitation.

“I am,” she responded, gently pushing his face down. He hungrily latched onto her wound and slowly began to thrust inside her. He gulped down her blood as if he has been starved in a desert for a hundred years.

Tears quietly streamed down her cheeks as she turned her cheek into his chest. His hands caressed her face and hair with such care it made her cry all the more. She knew he was trying very hard to keep control, to protect her, to heal her; to erase what was done to her.

She opened her mouth and bit around his nipple as hard she could. Her dull teeth broke the skin as he screamed out in a foreign tongue as his blood spilled into her mouth, “Oh min älskling, hur jag har svikit er! Jag kommer att hela dig med varje bit av mig jag har att ge!”

She sucked his blood eagerly as she let his passion pour through their bond, overwhelming her and bringing her with him. His hips rocked against hers and she felt her body respond and lift to meet his. She locked her legs tightly around his waist.

“Always, my lover,” he growled into her neck, pulling away from her wound. He looked into her eyes as he pushed into her, licking away her tears, kissing her lips and arching his back with every movement. Pools of red formed in the corners of his eyes. “You are mine. Always mine. Never will another harm you!” As he finished his declaration he cried out, spilling himself into her. He did not stop moving, intent on bringing her over the edge with him.

His overwhelming desire to fulfill her encompassed her and she felt her nipples begin to harden. His mouth sucked them gently at first, and then became more feverish as he could feel her body begin to tense.

Her back arched and she raised her hips hungrily into his. Her mind was awash with such desperation to reach her release that she bit down hard, again, into his chest. He pounded into her as she began to orgasm, his blood spilling into her mouth, filling her senses with nothing but HIM. He was all she knew, all she breathed, all she desired—all she needed to live.

He pushed into her a few final strokes and murmured,” Min älskare, min älskare,” filling her again.

Their bodies lay spent together, his head collapsed upon her sweaty breast. One hand held hers, while the other softly touched her face. She buried her nose into the smell of his hair, his golden locks against her chin. She inhaled him deeply, knowing she could never get enough of his smell. Something had happened between them tonight, something that had taken them further than they had ever been.

“Eric,” she said and he raised his head to look at her. His blue eyes were endless. “Did it work?” She was scared to know the answer.

He pulled himself up, so that they were eye to eye. He placed a soft kiss to her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks and her lips. He brought his mouth close to her ear and whispered,” Yes, my lover, it worked.”

Her eyes closed heavily, spent from all that she had been through. She felt him pull back the covers and slide her under the sheet, pulling it up to her chin as he spooned his body next to hers. The bedroom door creaked open and she opened her eyes to see Pam step in quietly.

“It worked,” she said in a thick voice, one that was filled with emotion. Pam looked at Eric and he nodded in return.

“My child, please bring Sookie a clean blanket and remove these offending creatures from her room. We must let her rest.” He commanded in a firm tone.

Pam bowed her head and took the blanket from Eric’s hand. She hefted one of the bodies over her shoulder and began to leave, not making one remark about ruining her designer clothes.

“Do not dispose of them yet. I will want to inspect them. Lay them outside,” he ordered and she inclined her head in response.

Sookie sank into her bed as Pam cleaned up, growing warmer as Eric covered her with the clean blanket. His body wrapped around hers and she felt completely and wholly safe. She could hear quiet voices in the living room and the soft steps Pam made as she came and went, but she didn’t care. She let Eric pull her into his depths, hold her inside his part of the bond and drown her in his love. She slept.